


Gambling Heart

by BIFF1



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, First Time, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Romance, high school bet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5332748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BIFF1/pseuds/BIFF1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brett knew he was in trouble the second Mason kissed him.</p><p>In which Brett accepts a bet to seduce Mason in order to mess with Liam.</p><p>Things go great...until they don't</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Brett knows he's in trouble the second Mason kisses him.

 

He fell headlong into the feeling, his chest ached and his hands itched to feel Mason's skin.

 

It's sweet and it's soft and he pulls away before Brett has a chance to make this kiss less chaste, before he can do much more than return it and loop his fingers around Mason's wrist.

 

He's in so much trouble because his eyes take too long to flutter back open and Mason's smile is fucking amazing and he feels amazing and then he remembers why he's even here in the first place and then he feels like shit.

 

Earlier that month he'd been offered a bet by one of the seniors with a grudge on Liam. Make the best friend fall in love with you, make it as sickly sweet as possible, drive Liam crazy with pet names and sweet nothings, do that and Lori got into that summer program she'd been going on about forever but didn't quite have the grades for.

 

"Why did you do that..."

 

Mason rolls his eyes at him like he's being silly and maybe he is but he's also the worst and most assuredly does not deserve sweet Mason kisses.

 

Mason runs his fingers over the soft sensitive skin of his wrist a soft smile pulled across his lips. It is doing something very primal to him, the wolf in him is wide awake and wants a lot more than just sweet gestures and chaste kisses from Mason.

 

He wants to wrap around him, devour him in a very sexual manner.

 

He leans forward and presses his mouth against Mason's smile. Mason comes away from him laughter bubbling out as if the guy was made out of sunshine and magic and Saturday morning cartoons. If anyone said otherwise he's sure he'd fight them on it.

 

"Mason?"

 

"Uh huh?"

 

"Kiss me." Brett listens hard to the thundering of Mason's heart, he would drown in this smell if he could, affection and lust and that particular Mason scent with his own wrapped around it. It was the perfect smell.

 

Mason leans towards him to kiss him and Brett forces out reality, forces out thoughts about how he shouldn't be doing this, shouldn't be allowed to have fun or enjoy this.

 

For just this one time he wants to be in the moment, lost to everything else but the touch and taste and smell of his boyfriend however ill gotten he was.

 

Mason's mouth meets his and he falls into the feeling again, wrapping around Mason, touching his skin, nipping at his lip, elating in the feel of Mason's tongue against his own.

 

It's far from chaste this time as if Mason had set out to prove his skills and its driving something animal in him.

 

Brett pulls away from Mason's mouth panting and a soft whine leaves Mason's throat but Brett has no intention of being done not with the hot heavy scent of his boyfriend filling up the car. The windows steamed up sitting across the street from the prep school he doesn't care how late either of them are going to be. His mouth is quickly against Mason's neck, pulling out wonderfully lewd noises from the smaller boy.

 

He's marking him in a way that speaks more to his human nature than the wolf leaving bruises against the boys soft neck as Mason grabs desperately at him, pulling his shirt out of his slacks to touch skin, to wrap around his belt.

 

A bell sounds in the distance somewhere outside the warm wonderfully smelling interior of the car and he couldnt care less because Mason's eyes are glazed and unfocused but his fingers are still very very focused on undoing his belt.

 

Another bell sounds, followed by Mason's phone vibrating and ringing across the dashboard and falling into the foot well.

 

Mason pulls away and reluctantly Brett does the same, he's jealous of Mason's jeans because it was very obvious in his school issue slacks just how badly he wanted this make out session to go somewhere.

 

Like the backseat.

 

"You're late." Mason smiles at him and he can't help but smile back because Mason is kind of a beautiful mess, his lips swollen and abused, his neck and collar bone littered with bruises.

 

"Worth it." He does his belt back up and grabs his bag from the backseat. He leans across the car to kiss Mason goodbye but his face is pushed away playfully.

 

"Go to school, learn things."

 

"Spoil sport." He laughs getting out of the car, stuffing his shirt back into his pants and willing down his far too obvious erection.

 

_Stupid slacks_

 

He watches Mason drive off, back towards Beacon Hills and all his friends.

 

Back to Liam...

 

He sighs unhappily as reality settles back in. He is a terrible terrible person. But at least he doesn't have a problem in the pants department anymore.

 

-

 

"How's your little  _public school_ boyfriend?" A girl in his biology class asks and theirs a mocking tone to her voice.

 

"A better kisser than you are Amber." He returns deadpan and is rewarded with a cacophony of laughter from the class. He'd normally not be that rude but the way she had said that had just twisted something in him.

 

A girl in front of him twists in her seat, "What's he look like?" She asks happily, "all I've seen is his car." She wags her eyebrows at him and he blushes but pulls his phone out to show her anyway.

 

He's only been dating Mason for a few weeks but his phone is already full of photos of him and he gladly shares them forgetting again that he hadn't asked him out with the best of intentions.

 

It was so easy to forget how he had started all of this to get his sister to that camp that started in a month and a half.

 

"Oh my god, he's so adorable." She fawns and several other classmates follow suit even Amber concedes that he's pretty adorable.

 

-

 

He couldn't forget that it was all a bet at Lacrosse practice though. The seniors made it impossible, asking questions about Liam to the point where he couldn't wait until they graduated and left him the hell alone.

 

He left practice feeling like scum.

 

He sits on the front steps waiting for Mason, his bag at his feet, contemplating just how to tell Mason the truth.

 

_I love you but there's this thing... I asked you out because some seniors hate Liam and were going to do me a favour... But I do really really care about you. I love you. I'm an idiot. Forgive me._

 

Okay  _love_  was a little far since they hadn't even been dating a full month. Not that that really mattered he figured he'd get to Liam's name before he got a face full of angry fist.

 

He'd seen teen movies before he knew how badly things would go if Mason found out that this was a bet, this was a condition to get his sister to that stupid camp (which better be the best two weeks of her life or so help him). He didn't exactly think it would go well if he had to track Mason down to an airport and beg him to take him back. Liam would probably try and rip him apart, and Malia.

 

This could actually be the death of him.

 

He can smell Mason before he says anything. He walks up to him smelling amazing, like old books, sex, fancy soap and him.

 

"Why the long face? Miss me?" Mason is smirking, his hands in his jeans he looks up at him and the evidence of this morning's marking are still wonderfully visible against his dark skin.

 

"Yeah."

 

Mason holds his hand out all bright smiles and fantastic scents.

 

He takes Mason's hand and lets Mason pull him up and into him. Brett wraps his arms around him ignoring the sounds of everyone around them, ignoring the cat calling from at least one of the girls from his biology class, and the grumbling of the seniors somewhere behind him about how this show of affection wasn't really punishing Liam at all.

 

Fuck them.

 

This hug wasn't about Liam, it wasn't about their games, it wasn't about anything other then the fact that he really really liked Mason.

 

Fuck them all.

 

He had to tell Mason.

 

"Mason..."

 

"Mmm?" Mason pulls away to look at him, affection just rolled off of him and he just couldn't bring himself to say anything that might stop these amazing feelings.

 

He'd wait until Lori was away at that camp.

 

"Let's go."

 

"Yeah, cause I totally want to hang around your stuffy school." Mason laughs pulling his tie out of his sweater, "Come on prep school I got something to show you."

 

Brett follows him to the car.

 

"Is it in your pants?" He asks voice low and heavy making Mason's heart pound.

 

"It's in the backseat."

 

Brett opens the backseat hoping to slide in and ravage his boyfriend.

 

"Mason?"

 

He looks over the car door to Mason whose getting in the drives seat.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"There are a bunch of books back here."

 

"Sure are! I waited forever for those to clear customs."

 

Brett tosses his bag into the backseat and gets in the car smiling softly.

 

He was in so much trouble, he was looking forward to listening to Mason gush about his new reference material.


	2. The weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Mason invites Brett over for the weekend.

\--

 

Lori goes off to camp and he's hiding from the entire world at Mason's school. They are making out on the bleachers while Liam practiced, alternating between yelling at them to get a room and fake retching.

 

He honestly couldn't give less of a fuck.

 

All his attention was on Mason, the press of his fingers, the sound of his panting breath and thundering heartbeat.

 

Everything feels perfect right now. And later he'd finally tell Mason about Lori and the bet with seniors and he'd apologize and Mason, jar of sunshine, that he was would forgive him and they would get right back to making out.

 

_I love you but there's something I need to tell you about why I asked you out._

 

Mason was logical and intelligent, everything would be fine.

 

Everything would be-

 

Mason pulled away from him, panting breath on his lips and said words he was not ready to hear, "My parents arent going to be home tonight."

 

His heart stops.

 

It must legitimately stop because he can hear Liam laughing from the field as he struggles to breath and live with those words softly echoing in his mind.

 

"You don't have to come over, we don't have to-"

 

Brett puts his hand over Mason's mouth.

 

"What time?"

 

He can feel the smile spread across his palm.

 

Mason wraps his fingers around Brett's hand and pulls it down away from his smiling face, "Ten. They'll be gone till Thursday, you can bring an overnight bag if you want."

 

"Okay."

 

Mason pulls him back to him and continues to make a mess of his emotional state.

 

He keeps whispering against him, hot, burning lines of what he's in store for tonight and, if he plays his cards right, every night until Thursday.

 

By the time Liam is standing in front of them after practice, Brett's not even sure how to...with the...full sentences...

 

"Dial it down Mason, he feels like he's going to implode."

 

"Not really the direction I'm going for."

 

"Gross Mason. Gross." Liam scrunches up his face at his best friend, sends a glare quickly at him, as if to silently convey just the amount of hell he's in store for if he hurts Mason.  
-

 

He makes some half hearted excuse about why he's not going to be home for the rest of the week. Satomi gives him a look but doesn't say much more than  _be careful_.

 

He's fairly certain she knows  _exactly_  what is going on all the way down to the _I don't know how to get myself out of this bet_  mess.

 

Mason's parents are already gone, the car is gone from the driveway, and it's ten after ten. He has trouble swallowing as he mounts the front steps.

 

Before anything else he'd tell him. Before anything happened, he'd tell him about the bet and how it was stupid but Lori needed it and it had seemed harmless and how he loved him and how he was a terrible person but he'd done it for his sister and that had to mean something right?

 

He knocks on the door and waits, he can hear Mason behind it, the air is dripping in affection and nervous excitement, it so often is and he knows he doesn't deserve it but he takes comfort in the smell and particular feel of the air.

 

The door flies open and Mason is standing there practically glowing. Smiling brightly, that smile was going to be the death of him.

 

"You coming in?" Mason asks softly noticing that in spite of making more than enough room for him to come in he is still standing on the steps.

 

He takes a shaking breath and crosses the threshold.

 

"Why are you so nervous?" Mason asks closing and locking the door behind him.

 

Brett drops his bag to the floor and Mason picks it up and starts up the stairs. He follows him silently trying to sort out exactly how to go about telling him the reason he asked him out was because a couple seniors in charge of that camp Lori wanted to go to so badly just really really hated Liam.

 

Was there a certain combination of words that didn't make it sound like everything was a lie? That their relationship wasn't some cheap game for his upperclassmen to enjoy.

 

There had to be.

 

He  _needed_  there to be because Mason drops his bag in the room and slips his hand into his and he can't imagine a future that was worthwhile that didn't involve Mason holding his hand.

 

"Mason, I need to tell you something..." He whispers letting Mason pull him towards the bed.

 

Mason sits down on the edge of the bed and pulls him down with him. The shorter boy is looking up at him with wide eyes, the feelings rolling off him unchecked are intoxicating.

 

"It's okay. I know." He tells him, hands running across him.

 

"You know?" He blinks at him, how can he still be throwing off such loving feelings and scents if he knew? How did he know?

 

"How?"

 

"Liam told me." He pulls back because it sounds an awful lot like they are going to have a serious conversation.

 

"Liam told you..."

 

If that was true why wasn't he being ripped apart by Liam right now? Mason was logical and good hearted, Liam was... Well... Not. At least he wasn't logical when it came to protecting Mason, and he had never been good hearted when it came to him so this whole conversation is completely throwing him.

 

"Yeah, he told me you have a bit of a reputation at Devonford..."

 

He narrows his eyes confused trying to think about how his reputation as a tease would translate to...  _Oh Jesus_. They aren't talking about the same thing are they.

 

"You're talking about me being a virgin aren't you."

 

"You aren't?"

 

"No." He looks down at his lap and Mason feels so far away.

 

"Okay... Go ahead then." Mason tells him, voice soft and a little weak. The feelings he's throwing off are still too warm, too heavy, too affectionate and careful. He doesn't deserve any of those feelings.

 

Brett takes a breath, it sounds so loud in the quiet of the house.

 

He tries to sort out his words, to figure out the best way to tell him that this started because he loves his sister and she has terrible physics scores.

 

_I love you, remember I love you, but I need to tell you about the day I asked you out..._

 

He bites his lip and looks at Mason.

 

"I love you-"

 

"I love you too." The words rush out of Mason's mouth like they had been waiting for a while and it does something to his insides.

 

_I love you too_.

 

The words echo in his mind replacing all other sentiments.

 

"You do?" He can't help but ask, Mason's four words completely derailing him.

 

"Yes." Mason moves so they are close again, his hands on him, heavy, hot, wonderful, "Absolutely yes. Say it again." He tells him, voice low, eyes dark and the sound of his voice is twisting something wonderful in him.

 

"I love you." He tells him obediently and the smile it produces is devistating, "I love you." He repeats and Mason's hands are on the hem of his shirt and on his skin.

 

Mason's kisses he's pretty sure are laced with some amazing brand of poison because he's completely useless.

 

He fumbles nervously, his hands on Mason's belt but he just wraps his own hands around his and kissing him deeply moves his hands easily across the leather and into the newly opened jeans.

 

Brett was used to being the lead, to having girls and boy fumble nervously against  _him_  not the other way around. However his mind is a buzzing fog of need and Mason's the only one of them with any experience.

 

The way Mason moves against him, hands, hips, mouth is heavy, like he's dragging him underwater, pressed into the bed, grabbing at him greedily.

 

Mason is pulling noises out of him like he's collecting them, smiling softly at each new tone. It's maddening how amazing Mason looks, half naked, lording over him, hands running along his skin.

 

Mason settles lower on the bed, between his legs and he's suddenly struck with nervousness and fear.

 

Not about their relationship, in the emotional haze his mind has created nothing exists outside of this room, outside of their relationship, nothing and no one. But what if he does it wrong? What if he's terrible at this? What if-

 

"Calm down." Mason tells him with a soft smile, his hand rubbing gentle lines between his hip and his dick, never touching the aching part of his anatomy, "I'm going to take good care of you. Promise."

 

"Mason..." His name is rough in the air between them and it twists the boys smile into something more predatory.

 

"You want to do this right?" Mason asks softly, his breath on his dick driving him to see the room in extra color. His eyes shifting into gold.

 

"Yes." The word comes out a low growl that shifts into an obscene moan of a thing when Mason finally touches him, fingers and tongue against him and  _Jesus fucking_ _christ_.

 

He must say that out loud because a soft pleasant laugh falls from his boyfriends mouth against him.

 

Brett tries to focus on not bucking up into the hot wet wonderful feeling of Mason's mouth but its fucking impossible, every action Mason makes drives him further from the logical human part of himself but Mason doesn't grumble or choke or hiss against his enthusiasm, just shifts his hands and his mouth and the way he's sitting in order to accommodate.

 

Mason always was a giving person and it seems doublely true in bed.

 

"Mason-" the name falls off into a moan, he's way too close, this is way too fast, the twisting heated pressure in him feels like it'll snap a part any second, he has hands full of blanket, his claws out, ripping the soft fabric apart as Mason looks up at him dick still in his mouth and he hums his acknowledgment twisting the spring in him tighter, too tight, he's going to snap in two.

 

He says his name again and its a shaking noise as he grabs at one of Mason's arms, the scent of blood hits the air but at the same time Mason does something new with his tongue and a finger and with the feeling of intrusion creating a surprising full feeling and some impressive tongue work he finishes, with an actual honest to god roar, right down Mason's throat.

 

Mason pulls away looking down at him like an alpha predator, mouth wet and red, blood on his forearm.

 

Pants still on.

 

"Mason?" He asks softly sitting up to look him in the eyes but no other words manage to come out, just heavy kisses and much surer hands pushing the smaller boys jeans away. He pulls away watching Mason finally lose his jeans and underwear. His heart is pounding like crazy in his chest, Mason's is a quick but steady pace and if he ever entertained the idea of being the dominant one in this little foray it disintegrates with the way Mason uses only two fingers to push him back down onto the bed.

 

Mason leans away from him, grabbing something that smells of plastic and mint out of a drawer before bearing over him a tube of something in his hand.

 

It's obvious to him what the tube is for but he hadn't really thought much about the logistics of sex. Mason is the only guy he's ever really wanted to go that far with.

 

His thoughts melt away with a smile from Mason and a couple of slowly moving fingers.

 

One and he's a mess of moans and pushing back against the digit, a soft back of the throat moan falls from Mason and it drives him further and further from humanity.

 

He finds it funny that Mason could have that effect on him when he knew that he had the opposite effect on Liam.

 

Those thoughts melt away when another finger is added, slick and the smell of mint and sex heavy in the air.

 

He's a mess but the feelings falling off Mason suggest that he loves it. Affection heavy and sweet in the air, wrapped around arousal and sex and blood.

 

He has to keep his clawing hands to himself.

 

It's an afterthought when Mason pulls the pumping fingers out and he lets out a disappointed whine before Mason is pressed against him instead.

 

He tenses but Mason runs his hands across his overheated skin, his mouth against his chest and the moment he relaxes Mason pushes in slowly, wet and smelling of plastic, mint and all the amazing Mason specific scents that smell of love.

 

Mason moans and Brett tries to focus on those wonderful sounds instead of the underlying pain.

 

Mason is finally losing focus, his heartbeat thundering in Brett's ears, his breath heavy, laboured. Everything about Mason starts to get erratic and there's something incredibly satisfying in knowing he's the one causing it.

 

The rhythm set is a little too gentle and he wraps his long legs around Mason and forces a quicker rougher pace which seems to sort of unravel Mason.

 

He's really a fan of an unraveling Mason, he's barely holding onto humanity, his hands on Mason's back, fingers, no claws, as Mason thrusts with a rhythm that is quickly growing needy and staggering awkwardly.

 

Mason's mouth is on his skin, his fingers digging into his hips, thighs, anywhere he can get a grip on him, his fingers clawing into him in a way that won't make a mark or bruise even though he wants it too.

 

Mason is shuttering a little, he can smell the orgasm in the air before he has it, he can see Mason trying to push it off and away focusing on him with a laser like focus he's only ever seen him use on those ancient books.

 

Mason's eyes flick up to look at him and he must be staring at him because Mason smiles in a way that isn't predatory at all, something loving and sweet and just for him that it makes his already erratic heart beat flutter.

 

He grabs at Mason and pulls him into a kiss, its a little awkward due to the height differences but absolutely worth it. Mason's fingers thread his own and he renews his effort, pushing off the orgasm that he can practically see behind Mason's dark eyes.

 

He lets go of one of his hands to twist him a little and  _fuck_

 

_Fuck fuck fuck_

 

He's not sure if the word comes out of his mouth or not because he's too busy completely falling apart as Mason hits something new inside him that pulls his teeth out and his eyes bright reflective pools of gold.

 

He lets out another roaring moan of noise and finishes, making a mess of the bedding.

 

Mason is quick behind him making a mess all his own inside and out.

 

Mason makes to move but Brett grabs him and forces him down on to the clean side of the bed.

 

"How's your arm?" He asks softly pulling his boyfriends forearm up for him to inspect. There are marks and dried blood but he should be fine.

 

"It's fine."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"It's fine, I actually expected more than that. Your self control is a lot more impressive then I thought. I'll have to work on that." Mason smiles up at him, its soft and sweet and he feels fiercely protective of him.

 

He's positive in this moment, catching his breath, Mason half on him, skin on flushed over sensitive skin, he would kill for Mason.

 

It's an odd thought.

 

But he would.

 

He would destroy anyone who would try to hurt Mason.

 

Mason is breathing softly against his neck, his fingers in his hair whispering sweet things in his ear, sweet and proud words in his ear about how responsive and wonderful he was.

 

"I love you." He whispers, voice heavy and tired.

 

"I love you too." He responds easily, he can't imagine saying anything else.

 

Nothing else belonged in that conversation.

 

At least that's what he thought while still dazed from their activities. He's coming down and its a hard painful drop because he knows exactly what words were supposed to follow  _I love you._

 

_I love you, I love you and that's why you should know the real reason I asked you out on that first date..._

 

"Fuck." He whispers before looking down quickly at Mason.

 

He's asleep on his chest and he can't bring himself to move him.

 

At least let him have the rest of the night.  
\--

 

He needs to tell him.

 

He keeps thinking it sitting across from him at the dinner table, sitting beside him on the couch, dropping him off at work, holding hands in bed.

 

He needs to tell him but every time he starts the words get tangled.

 

It's Wednesday night and there was never going to be a better time then now.

 

Just the two of them, in Mason's bedroom, sitting on his bed cross legged looking at a handful of those ancient books that smelt of dust and death but that Mason caressed like a lost lover.

 

"Mason?"

 

"Mmm?" Mason asks, the way he moves to look at him and the book in his lap at the same time exposes his neck. It's a beautiful stretch of skin that he wants to devour and its marked up accordingly.

 

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes tightly, he was going to get the words out tonight.

 

He couldn't keep letting Mason look at him like he hung the moon, couldn't keep finding comfort in the affectionate scents and looks and touches of his ill gotten boyfriend.

 

Mason moves on the bed, he can feel the dip of the mattress and the sound of his clothes against skin.

 

He's concerned and worried.

 

One more deep breath and he's got the heavy scent of sex and old books and Mason in his nose and he doesn't deserve how wonderful that smells.

 

"Mason i-"

 

"Get away from him." A growl comes from the doorway and he opens his eyes to find Liam standing in the open bedroom door.

 

"Liam? What's the matter?" Mason gets off the bed to go to his friend, to calm him down because he's completely wolfed out, eyes gold and narrow, everything about him screams  _run_.

 

"Oh god you know..." He whispers getting off the bed.

 

"What's going on? Know about what?" Mason asks instinctively moving to Liam's side and that hurts just a little bit extra. He doesn't know why he's surprised? Of course Mason would side with Liam.

 

"This son if a bitch has been lying to you." Liam growls and yeah that's true but he's really just making everything worse. He's been trying to tell Mason for months, didn't that count for anything?

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"I was at one of Hayden's practices and some seniors from Devonford were having an awfully good time asking about you and Brett's relationship."

 

"What?"

 

Brett is only half listening, he can feel the rage choking the air between him and Liam, as soon as he was done with the story he was positive his claws would be in his chest. He was busy looking for an escape route. The window between them seemed like the best option.

 

"They asked if you had fucked him yet? If you had deflowered the little prince yet?"

 

He stops calculating ways to get to the window with limited damage at that.

 

"They what?"

 

"Oh you didn't know about that part?" Liam asks, "its Devonford Brett you should know that its always ulterior motives. Even for something as sick as pretending to love my best friend in order to make me miserable."

 

"What..." Mason looks back at him now, the word shallow, broken, and cutting like glass.

 

"I've been trying to tell you for months. It isn't like that anymore. It was never really like that." The words push out of his mouth but he's not so sure they have any affect.

 

Mason just shakes his head and moves behind Liam, "Don't talk to me again." He whispers before he closes the door on Liam's rage.

 

"Liam. I would never hurt him. You know I wouldn't. I love him."

 

The words fall on deaf ears because Liam is across the room, throwing his fists into Brett's chest and face. Liam has a lot to learn if he thinks that is going to hurt him.

 

"You even  _look_ _at Mason again and_ _I will_ _fucking_  destroy you."

 

He can taste blood and the salt water. It takes him a moment to realize he's crying silently.

 

"I didn't want to hurt him."

 

"Well you did." Brett pushes him backward with enough force that he slams into the far wall.

 

He takes a few steadying breaths before jumping out the open window.

 

He stands on the front lawn looking up at the window for a moment, wondering if he should ask for his bag back before Mason appears in the window.

 

There are tear tracks down his cheeks and it kills him.

 

"Mason! Let me explain!"

 

Mason holds up a hand and he shuts up watching as his ex-boyfriend began throwing his stuff out the window like some cliché.

 

He doesn't stop with just his bag, sweaters and stuffed animals and anything that he had gotten him over the months ends up on the blue green grass at his feet.

 

When he's done he slams the window closed and with his super hearing tuned into him can hear him crying into Liam.

 

He gathers up his things and starts the long walk home. He needed to regroup. If he didn't think about how to fix this he'd probably do something stupid like break into the house and tie Mason to a chair until he listened to everything he had to say.

 

He wished he had thought of that earlier.


	3. falling apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brett tries to get Mason back...  
> it might take a while  
> _

Lori had the audacity to have a terrible time at camp.

 

His life had fallen apart to get her the one thing she wanted more than life and she hadn't even had a good time.

 

She had come back from the summer space program with a hatred for math and told him that she was going to be a writer instead.

 

He hasn't talked to her since.

 

Brett hadn't been this angry, this odd raging kind of miserable in years.

 

The entire McCall pack, and several Omega leftovers from the Chimera pack had set up a supernatural wall around Mason.

 

He was pretty sure Mason had gone as far as mountain ash on his windows because he hadn't even been able to break in to try and explain himself.

 

He was running an errand for Satomi, a box of something or other to go to the post office.

 

The mail man would have taken it, there was no need for him to take it. But Satomi had told him in no uncertain terms to get out of the house and take the package to the post office.

 

He walks, not because he wants to but because his car is in the garage.

 

The late summer afternoon is unreasonably beautiful and he hates every inch of it. Every stupid beautiful inch of scenery reminds him of Mason. Mason loved the summer, Mason loved everything.

 

His heart, all his insides just  _ache_

 

Because he didn't love everything.

 

He didn't love him. Not anymore.

 

He looks away from the shining green leaves and dappled sunlight and his blood boils.

 

Their they are. The seniors that destroyed his life.

 

Laughing.

 

Happy.

 

Talking about getting out of this place, talking about the look on Liam's face when they had broke the news.

 

How they wished they could have seen Brett's face.

 

Brett drops the package and crosses the street to meet them. The misery in him sinking, shifting, making way for all the rage to push to the front, to shut off the part of his brain that told him to just go to the post office.

 

"Brett? Hey how are you?" The taller one, McGuiness, smirks at him and he smashes his fist into his face.

 

The bulkier one,  tries to pull him off but he just ends up fighting them both, the anger in him making his eyes slip, but he keeps his claws and teeth in.

 

He doesn't know how long it's been going on, how long they've been a tangle of angry fighting limbs but someone pulls them off and away.

 

Parrish.

 

The hellhound.

 

He isn't on fire so he'll take that as a sign that they aren't dead.

 

"Calm down kid." Parrish tells him turning back to the seniors, he's helping the paramedics and the misery and sorrow comes flooding back full force.

 

He sits on the ground. Against the front of a shop, and stares at the carefully wrapped package across the street as the deputy puts cuffs on him.

 

"Can you get the package?" He asks softly as the man helps him up, "I was supposed to take it to the post office..."

 

Parrish puts his hand on his head and puts him into the back of the squad car. The man sighs softly and runs across the street to grab the package.

 

Parrish's partner complains but they stop at the post office anyway.

 

"Thank you." He whispers, staring down at his knees.

 

He can't believe he did that. He was in so much trouble. There was no way they wouldn't charge him. Brett wondered if he could get expelled for that.

 

Brett doesn't end up in the holding cell like he expects.

 

Parrish starts but the Sheriff stops him.

 

"Aren't you the Talbot kid?" He asks, "Brent?"

 

"Brett." He corrects and Stilinski sighs.

 

"Office."

 

He's handcuffed go a chair in the sheriff's office wondering why they even bother, the way the Sheriff sighed he had to know that he could get out of these without really trying.

 

He's sitting there alone for a good twenty minutes before the Sheriff comes in and closes the door behind him.

 

"So they are both pressing charges." He tells him unhappily, voice steady and fatherly, disappointed and that tired kind of sad.

 

"OK."

 

"You're seventeen so that might work in your favour but considering the damage you did to them they will probably try and get you tried as an adult."

 

"OK."

 

The Sheriff shakes his head, "stop saying that. It is not okay. So you and Mason broke up you can not take it out on the world."

 

"He broke up with me, don't say it like it was mutual." He snaps, "And we never would have broken up if it wasn't for those two pieces of shit-"

 

The entirely human man holds up his hand to silence Brett, there is no fear in him in spite of the obvious destructive nature of Brett's anger.

 

"Are you back together now?"

 

"Obviously not."

 

"Then what good did assaulting those boys actually do."

 

The misery aims to swallow him up again because he's right. There was no amount of anything that seemed to be able to even get him within ten feet of Mason.

 

A part of him was impressed with just how completely Liam had been able to phase him out.

 

"What do I do?" He asked and he wasn't sure what exactly he was asking about.

 

The Sheriff sits down next to him, a hand on his shoulder, "I'll call Satomi, and we'll talk about you're options. If you can afford a good lawyer you might be able to get off with community service and some therapy. As for Mason... You're both young, give it time."

 

The smile on his face is soft and sad. It feels true and he finds the first piece of comfort in it.  
\---

 

Satomi's lawyer is amazing, he has to go to therapy every second Thursday and 200 hours of community service.

 

He's lucky he's not in jail, everyone says it.

 

He is however not welcome back to Devonford Prep for his senior year. Even though the popular opinion from his old teammates and friends is that he was a hero not a villain.

 

There is only one school in the area that is willing to take him and he's pretty sure its entirely because his former coach is drinking buddies with Finstock.

 

He hates how everything has either that McCall pack smell, or that Chimera metallic tang about it.

 

He's at school all of five minutes before Liam storms up.

 

"What the hell are you doing here?" He growls, he wonders if Mason is somewhere behind him out of sight, wonders how long he will be able to manage that.

 

"It's the only school in the area that would take me." He answers simply looking over his head, scanning the crowds.

 

"Then you should have tried another area." Liam growls, "You even look at Mason and I'll kill you." Liam glares once more for good measure before walking away.

 

It was a larger school then Devonford, student body wise but there was no way that Mason could avoid him forever right?  
-

 

Wrong.

 

He's been going to Beacon Hills High for months, a lot of months, the school year is almost over and he's only ever cause glimpses of Mason. Lingering scents, snippets of conversation, heartbreaking laughter.

 

They had been in one class together for all of twelve minutes and all of those Liam's girlfriend the omega Chimera had been standing between them sending looks like she was going to eat him alive right there in AP English.

 

Mason always was a planner, if he didn't want to see him ever again, it would have been easy enough for him to do.

 

But its been months and he's miserable. He misses his friends, he misses his school, his teammates, catching his sisters familiar scent in the halls, he misses Mason.

 

He's made a few friends but everyone seems to know exactly why he had to change schools, exactly why he leaves early every other Thursday, why he's so community minded.

 

He's been asked out a bunch of times too but he just shakes his head and gives every single one of them the same response boy and girl alike.

 

_Sorry but I'm in love with Mason._

 

He tells this to another girl, she's actually quite nice but he's worried that everything he likes about her is just a reflection of her being similar to Mason.

 

"Sorry but I'm in love with Mason."

 

She sighs, she had to know he'd say that.

 

"It's been months Brett, when are you going to move on?"

 

He shrugs, a melancholy washing over him, "Probably never."

 

"You know he's going to prom with Corey right."

 

"Oh?"

 

Yeah he knows, how could he not know. Corey's been consistently smelling more and more like Mason as the months went on.

 

They were probably going to get together properly any day now, which caused a special kind of pain in his chest because he had actually liked Corey.

 

"Yeah, oh." She must see right through him, most people seem to these days. He used to play everything so close to the chest but he's been a mess since the break up.

 

Everyone seemed to know everything, he had hoped it would make it easier for them to get back together if everyone knew about the bet, about how it hadnt mattered for so long, how he  _still_  was completely wrecked by Mason Hewitt.

 

It hadnt so far.

 

"Have you thought about going out with someone, to make him jealous?" She offers and its so obvious that she's trying to figure out a way to get him to go out with her.

 

He's impressed with her determination but he shoots the idea down, "One high school cliché got me into this mess, another one isn't going to get me out. Sorry." An alarm on his phone goes off and he excuses himself, "Thursday."

 

"Yeah, okay. Think about taking me to prom." She smiles at him brightly and he says he will but he won't.

 

He instead thinks about his ap English final and what to get his sister for her birthday.

 

He's asked to prom a couple more times and agrees once.

 

Seth invites him to go to the Devonford senior prom as his  _date_. He got special permission from Headmaster Carradine.

 

They spend a good couple of hours at the prom before they all pile into Graham's SUV and spend the rest of the night on formal wear in the forest in various states of drunkenness.

 

"I'm sorry about Mason." Amber tells him offering another beer. It does nothing for him but he always drinks anyway.

 

"Me too."

 

She sits down next to him in the thick grass and fluffs up her dress like she's a princess. She's gotten nicer since he last saw her maybe it had something to do with the fact that her parents finally got that divorce.

 

"Have you spoken to him since?"

 

He shakes his head, he doesn't really want to talk about Mason tonight but he seemed to follow him everywhere. Or maybe he dragged Mason with him everywhere, he wasn't even sure anymore after a year of pining and trying to be good, to make it up to Mason in anyway he could think of ( charity, helping Scott, joining every sad bleeding heart club he could find), he was still left here pining wishing he could be drunk.

 

"Maybe its for the best-" she holds up her hand before he can interrupt, "You're a better person than you used to be, and its partly because of Mason but some of it isn't." She falls back staring up at the stars and with a sigh he follows her, "Do you believe in fate?"

 

"I believe in science." He tells her firmly hoping to kill the direction of this conversation.

 

She looks at him, her face flushed from alcohol, its made her philosophical and nostalgic, "That's not true. I know deep in there somewhere you believe in magic." She puts her hand to his chest and it feels like she's going to make a move on him.

 

That this is a build up to get back together even though they had never really been together in the first place.

 

"We didn't spend a lot of time together Brett but I know that. I know that in there somewhere is a boy who believes in fate and magic."

 

"The break up  _broke_  me Amber."

 

"Yes. Yes it did but you know what Hemingway said."

 

Of course he does, he's going to be an English major in the fall but she continues anyway.

 

"We are all broken, that's how the light gets in-" she slurs and he doesn't have the heart to tell her thats not a Hemingway quote at all, " you were too together, too perfect and there was no soul to you, no light." She is reaching aimlessly for the stars and there is something awfully perfect and broken about this moment.

 

"You're saying the break up made me a better person? You know I almost went to jail for assault right."

 

A hand rotates lazily on its wrist, batting that away, "I'm saying the break up made you better at being  _human_. It taught you things-" she slurs a little again taking some of the seriousness out of her words, "Be a better you, be better at  _life_ ,  _live_ , climb mountains, read books. Read so many books, love as much and as often as you can, love  _breathing_!" She shouts and a shout of excitement from the rest of the party fills the night in response.

 

The clinking of bottles, yelling, free and wild and real.

 

Brett lays there in the field, in the thick grass staring up at the stars wondering when the last time he felt this  _real_ was.

 

Seth drops down next to him, reaches over and pushes playfully at Amber, "Stop trying to hit on my date with your valedictorian speech."

 

"I'm not!" She pushes back, "What I'm saying Brett is fate brought you here, learn to love who you are or go out and become a person you can love. Don't pine, don't wait, don't wish and hope and be good for anyone other than yourself. If you and Mason are going to get back together it will happen."

 

"I just... I  _can't._  I can't move anywhere without him knowing that I'm sorry, that I tried to tell him, that I love him."

 

He stares out at the sparkling white lights of the stars because it sure as hell was easier than looking anywhere else.

 

Seth drops an arm across his chest, drunk, "Write a letter. Mail it, drop it off at his doorstep, just write a letter with everything you want to say and be done with it." Seth grabs a hold of Amber and pulls her closer until he's sandwiched between them, "Don't live for the past or whatever."

 

Amber waxes a little more poetic but he can barely hear them as the party dies down around them, everyone else just collapsing in the grass to stare up at the sky, afraid of the future but more afraid of staying in the past and he knew he had to stop living for this mistake no matter how large a mistake it was.

 

-

 

It's four pages by the time he signs it,  _love always_.

 

It's filled with the word  _sorry_  and  _regret_  and  _tried_  but its also everything he's wanted to say to Mason the entire year, its about the therapy sessions, the terrible smell of hospice work, its about how his sister wants to be a writer instead of an astronaut now, how his pack is doing. How he was the first person he wanted to tell about his early admission.

 

It's got pieces of Amber's drunken speech in it, how one day maybe. Maybe when he lives himself the way he had loved Mason, maybe they would meet somewhere and be together again.

 

_Love always_

 

He seals the envelope and on the front in red pen he writes in handwriting he knows Mason will recognise.

 

_Please do not throw out_.

 

He knows he doesn't have a chance of breaking into Mason's house to leave it in his room, he didn't think he could handle the room smelling like Corey anyway.

 

So he breaks into Mason's car the last day of school and puts it in his glove compartment.  
\--

 

Brett goes to college, joins a fraternity that does an inordinate amount of charity, has a few relationship, gets a masters in English literature, and a paper published on the symbolism of wolves in modern day storytelling and moves back to Beacon Hills.

 

He lives at home with Satomi in the big house on the hill and locks himself away in the study writing non fiction that no one seems to care about but always sells.

 

He hasn't had a steady relationship for a year and a half and Penelope his editor is worried about him.

 

He can smell it on her like perfume as she sits across from in at Rouge. The worry and concern is stronger than the casuslet that goes by their table.

 

"I'm fine Pen-"

 

She raises an ink stained hand, "No, no your not." She had known him for a few years and had given herself the job if making sure he was healthy and happy and she had done a great job, well she had until his last break up. He'd been in kind of a slump, "You're in a slump and I know the perfect way to fix it."

 

"Please tell me you're not setting me up."

 

"I'm setting you up." She smiles brightly, "He's great, super smart and kind. He's even interested in your writing."

 

"He is?"

 

"Yep. There he is-"

 

"What? Now? What is wrong with you I didn't agree to this."

 

"That's exactly why its now." She stands up, "over here!" She waves an arm and he turns to see what the hell she's done.

 

"Oh god." He whimpers.

 

"I know he's just your type."

 

"You could say that..." Brett is having trouble breathing because that is absolutely who he thinks it is. He's gotten a little taller, but he's still lean and  _god_  he still smells the same, "Does he know you're setting him up with me?" He asks turning to her a desperation in his voice he had thought he had gotten rid of through years of personal growth.

 

"Course he does."

 

"Like he knows my  _name_."

 

"Brett I told you he reads your books, why wouldn't he know your name?"

 

Mason arrives at their table, hugs Penelope and takes her seat across from him. He's going to explode. His heart burns and aches and screams in his chest and he can't speak.

 

"Well I'll leave you two then."

 

He watches Penelope leave the restaurant before turning his full attention to Mason Hewitt.

 

Jesus Fucking Christ Mason Hewitt.

 

Maybe all that fate talk hadn't been the bullshit he thought it was.

 

"It's been a while." Mason smiles softly looking somewhere between his clenched hands and his chest.

 

"Yeah..." He wants to touch him, can he touch him?  Was that allowed?

 

"Brett-"

 

"I love you." The words burst our of his mouth and he can feel the blood rush to his face.

 

_Smooth_.

 

It's been like seven years and the second thing you say to him is  _I love you_?

 

Mason pulls something our of his jacket and puts it on the table between them, its an envelope, grungy but he recognizes it.

 

He looks from the envelope to Mason, who is biting his lip.

 

"I love you too." There's a swelling feeling in his chest, he wants to liken things to flowers and sunsets because holy crap, after all this time Mason still loved him, "Lets go slow."

 

"Absolutely, anything you want," he grabs a hold of Mason's hand and he can't stop smiling which seems to be just fine with Mason because he's smiling back.


End file.
